Method and apparatus for displaying a charge level of a battery

ABSTRACT

A method for displaying a charge level of a battery includes the steps of (1) displaying the charge level of the battery in a first manner during battery charging, and (2) displaying the charge level of the battery in a second manner which is different than the first manner during battery discharging. The first manner displaying step includes the step of operating a battery charge level indicator in a first mode, and the second manner displaying step includes the step of operating the battery charge level indicator in a second mode which is different than the first mode. In addition, a battery charge level indicator is disclosed and includes a display for indicating a charge level of a battery, and a mechanism for operating the display so as to indicate whether the battery is in a charge state of operation or a discharge state of operation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for displayingindicia and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for displayinga charge level of a battery.

There have been, heretofore, numerous devices designed for displaying acharge level of a battery. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,130,659describes a battery monitor which indicates the projected time until abattery reaches a lower threshold value indicative of the energycapacity of the battery. The battery monitor includes a microprocessorwhich iteratively reads the value of the battery voltage. Themicroprocessor then determines the rate of discharge of the battery andprojects the future values of the battery voltage as well as theprojected time at which the battery voltage attains the thresholdvoltage. This projected time is then displayed on a visual indicator,such as an LCD display. U.S. Pat. No. 5,043,651 discloses an apparatushaving a rechargeable battery and a battery voltage detector whichdetects the output voltage of the battery to produce a detection signalwhen the output voltage falls below a predetermined threshold level. Acontroller stores a battery capacity value and accumulates the dischargeof the battery to produce an accumulated capacity value. The controlleralso calculates a difference between the stored capacity value and theaccumulated capacity value. Using the difference, a display displays theremaining charge value of the battery thereon. If the difference exceedsa predetermined value at a time the controller receives the detectionsignal, the controller changes the stored capacity value to a newcapacity value. In addition, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,105,180; 5,124,627;5,130,658; and 5,130,659 disclose other devices for displaying thecharge level of a battery.

However, while the charge level of a battery which is used to power anelectrical apparatus, such as a portable computer, can be adequatelydisplayed by one of the aforementioned devices, the user of theelectrical apparatus may be unaware as to whether the battery is in theprocess of being charged. Also, it would be desirable if the chargelevel of the battery was displayed in a pleasant manner which allowseasy determination of such charge level.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided a method for displaying a charge level of a battery. The methodincludes the steps of (1) displaying the charge level of the battery ina first manner during battery charging, and (2) displaying the chargelevel of the battery in a second manner which is different than thefirst manner during battery discharging.

Pursuant to another embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided a method for displaying a charge level of a battery adapted topower a portable computer, with the portable computer having a chargestate of operation and a discharge state of operation. The methodincludes the steps of (1) displaying the charge level of the battery ina first manner during the charge state of operation of the portablecomputer, and (2) displaying the charge level of the battery in a secondmanner, which is different from the first manner, during the dischargestate of operation of the portable computer.

According to still another embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided a method for displaying a charge level of a battery adapted topower an electrical device, which includes the step of providing abattery charge level indicator which includes a first indicator portionand a second indicator portion, each representing a certain quantity ofcharge remaining in the battery of the electrical device. The methodfurther includes the step of operating the battery charge indicator in afirst mode of operation which includes the steps of (1) indicating afirst charge level of the battery by flashing the first indicatorportion while causing the second indicator portion to remaininactivated, and (2) indicating a second charge level of the battery byflashing the second indicator portion while causing the first indicatorportion to remain activated.

Pursuant to yet another embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided a battery charge level indicator which includes a display forindicating a charge level of a battery, and a mechanism for operatingthe display so as to indicate whether the battery is in a charge stateof operation or a discharge state of operation.

Pursuant to still another embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided a battery charge level indicator which includes a display forindicating a charge level of a battery, and a mechanism for operatingthe display in a first mode during battery charging and in a second modeduring battery discharging, wherein the first mode is different from thesecond mode.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new anduseful method and apparatus for displaying a charge level of a battery.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improvedmethod and apparatus for displaying a charge level of a battery.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a methodand apparatus for displaying a charge level of a battery which is usedto power an electrical device such as a portable computer, that canprovide information to the user of the electrical device so that theuser can determine whether the battery is in the process of beingcharged.

It is moreover another object of the present invention to provide amethod and apparatus for displaying a charge level of a battery which ispleasant and allows easy determination of such charge level.

The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the presentinvention will become apparent from the following description and theattached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagrammatic view of a portable computer incorporatingthe features of the present invention therein.

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the indicator used in the portablecomputer of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 3E and 3F are each an elevational view of theindicator used in the portable computer of FIG. 1 with each of the FIGS.3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 3E and 3F showing the indicator representing a certaincharge level of the battery pack used in the portable computer of FIG. 1during its charge state of operation.

FIG. 4 is a table presenting the variable "Figure which Shows the ImageDisplayed on the Indicator during Charging of the Battery Pack" as afunction of the variable "Charge Level (in %) of the Battery Pack".

FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C, 5D, 5E and 5F are each an elevational view of theindicator used in the portable computer of FIG. 1 with each of the FIGS.5A, 5B, 5C, 5D, 5E and 5F showing the indicator representing a certaincharge level of the battery pack used in the portable computer of FIG. 1during its discharge state of operation.

FIG. 6 is a table presenting the variable "Figure which Shows the ImageDisplayed on the Indicator during Discharging of the Battery Pack" as afunction of the variable "Charge Level (in %) of the Battery Pack".

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications andalternative forms, a specific embodiment thereof has been shown by wayof example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. Itshould be understood, however, that it is not intended to limit theinvention to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, theintention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternativesfalling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by theappended claims.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a block diagram of a portablecomputer, generally indicated by the reference numeral 10, whichincorporates the features of the present invention therein. The portablecomputer 10 includes an electrical system 12, a battery pack 16, abattery charge level indicator 20 and a loudspeaker 22. The electricalsystem 12 includes a microprocessor 14, The battery pack 16 is coupledvia lines 18 to the microprocessor 14. The battery pack 16 includes anumber of batteries plus circuitry which electrically communicates withthe microprocessor 14. For example, the battery pack circuitry allowsthe microprocessor 14 to periodically poll the battery pack 16 in orderto determine information regarding the charge level of the batteriescontained in the battery pack. The indicator 20 is coupled via line 24to the microprocessor 14 and interprets signals from the microprocessorso as to display information regarding the charge level of the batteriescontained in the battery pack 16. Also, the loudspeaker 22 is coupled tothe microprocessor 14 via line 26 and is activated so as to beep atpredetermined times thereby indicating certain information regarding thecharge level of the batteries contained in the battery pack.

The indicator 20 is shown in more detail in FIG. 2. In particular, theindicator 20 includes four LCD display segments 28, 30, 32 and 34 eachwhich may be activated to display an image. When display segments 28,30, 32 and 34 are simultaneously activated, a two dimensional image of abattery is created on the indicator 20.

In accordance with one method of the present invention, the charge levelof the battery pack 16 is displayed in a first manner during charging ofthe battery pack, and in a second manner which is different from thefirst manner, during discharging of the battery pack. The terms"charging of the battery pack", "charging of the battery", "battery packcharging", "battery charging" and "charge state of operation" are allused herein as meaning that the battery pack 16 is electrically coupledto an AC power source (not shown) so as to increase the total amount ofelectrical energy stored in the battery pack 16. Moreover, the terms"discharging of the battery pack", "discharging of the battery","battery pack discharging", "battery discharging" and "discharge stateof operation" are all used herein as meaning that the battery pack 16 isnot electrically coupled to an AC power source and any electricalactivity performed by the portable computer 10 causes a decrease in thetotal amount of electrical energy stored in the battery pack 16.

The first manner in which the charge level of the battery pack 16 isdisplayed includes operating the indicator 20 in a first mode duringcharging of the battery. The first mode of operating the indicator 20 isdepicted in FIGS. 3A-3F. In FIGS. 3A-3F, each of the four LCD displaysegments may be shown as a solid display segment, or alternatively, adisplay segment filled with diagonal lines. For example, the displaysegment 28 is shown in FIG. 3B as a display segment filled with diagonallines, and in FIG. 3C as a solid display segment. As used in FIGS.3A-3F, a solid display segment indicates that the display segment isconstantly activated, while a display segment filled with diagonal linesis periodically activated, or in other words, flashing, Therefore, thedisplay segment 28 is flashing in FIG. 3B, while it is constantlyactivated in FIG. 3C.

Again, the first manner in which the charge level of the battery pack 16is displayed includes operating the indicator 20 in a first mode duringcharging of the battery and is depicted in FIGS. 3A-3F. Assuming thatthe battery pack 16 is substantially completely discharged, none of thefour LCD display segments will be activated and the resulting image thatis displayed on indicator 20 is depicted in FIG. 3A. As the battery pack16 begins to charge, the resulting image that is displayed on theindicator 20 changes to the image depicted in FIG. 3B. This image willcontinue to be displayed on the indicator 20 until the charge level ofthe battery is 25% of full capacity. When the charge level of thebattery increases to 25% of full battery capacity, the resulting imagethat is displayed on the indicator 20 changes to the image depicted inFIG. 3C. As the battery pack 16 further continues to charge, the imageshown in FIG. 3C remains on the indicator 20 until the charge level ofthe battery is 50% of full capacity. When the charge level of thebattery increases to 50% of full battery capacity, the resulting imagethat is displayed on the indicator 20 changes to the image depicted inFIG. 3D. As the battery pack 16 continues to charge, the image shown inFIG. 3D remains on the indicator 20 until the charge level of thebattery is 75% of full capacity. When the charge level of the batteryincreases to 75% of full battery capacity, the resulting image that isdisplayed on the indicator 20 changes to the image depicted in FIG. 3E.As the battery pack 16 continues to charge, the image shown in FIG. 3Eremains on the indicator 20 until the charge level of the battery is100% of full capacity. When the charge level of the battery increases to100% of full battery capacity, the resulting image that is displayed onthe indicator 20 changes to the image depicted in FIG. 3F. A tablepresenting the variable "Figure which Shows the Image Displayed on theIndicator during Charging of the Battery Pack" as a function of thevariable "Charge Level (in %) of the Battery Pack" is shown in FIG. 4.

Next, the second manner in which the charge level of the battery pack 16is displayed includes operating the indicator 20 in a second mode duringdischarging of the battery. The second mode of operating the indicator20 is depicted in FIGS. 5A-5F. In FIGS. 5A-5F, each of the four LCDdisplay segments may be shown as a solid display segment, oralternatively, a display segment filled with crisscrossed lines. Forexample, the display segment 28 is shown in FIG. 5E as a display segmentfilled with crisscrossed lines, and in FIG. 5D as a solid displaysegment. As used in FIGS. 5A-5F, a solid display segment indicates thatthe display segment is constantly activated, while a display segmentfilled with crisscrossed lines is periodically activated, or in otherwords, flashing. Therefore, the display segment 28 is flashing in FIG.5E, while it is constantly activated in FIG. 5D. However, the flash rateof a display segment that is filled with crisscrossed lines (see e.g.,item 28 in FIG. 5E), as used herein, is twice as quick as the flash rateof a display segment that filled with diagonal lines (see e.g., item 28in FIG. 3B). For example, if the display segment 28 of FIG. 3B wasflashing at a rate of two displays per second, the display segment 28 ofFIG. 5E would flash at a rate of four displays per second.

Again, the second manner in which the charge level of the battery pack16 is displayed includes operating the indicator 20 in a second modeduring discharging of the battery and is depicted in FIGS. 5A-5F.Assuming now that the battery pack 16 is completely charged (i.e. at100% of full capacity), each of the four LCD display segments will beactivated and the resulting image that is displayed on indicator 20 isdepicted in FIG. 5A. When the battery pack 16 begins to discharge (due,for example, to electrical operation of the portable computer) the sameimage remains displayed on the indicator 20 as depicted in FIG. 5A. Thisimage will continue to be displayed on the indicator 20 until the chargelevel of the battery is 75% of full capacity. When the charge level ofthe battery decreases to 75% of full battery capacity, the resultingimage that is displayed on the indicator 20 changes to the imagedepicted in FIG. 5B. As the battery pack 16 continues to discharge, theimage as shown in FIG. 5B remains on the indicator 20 until the chargelevel of the battery is 50% of full capacity. When the charge level ofthe battery decreases to 50% of full battery capacity, the resultingimage that is displayed on the indicator 20 changes to the imagedepicted in FIG. 5C. As the battery pack 16 continues to discharge, theimage as shown in FIG. 5C remains on the indicator 20 until the chargelevel of the battery is 25% of full capacity. When the charge level ofthe battery decreases to 25% of full battery capacity, the resultingimage that is displayed on the indicator 20 changes to the imagedepicted in FIG. 5D. As the battery pack 16 continues to discharge, theimage as shown in FIG. 5D remains on the indicator 20 until the chargelevel of the battery is 5% of full capacity. When the charge level ofthe battery decreases to 5% of full battery capacity, the resultingimage that is displayed on the indicator 20 changes to the imagedepicted in FIG. 5E. At this point, the microprocessor 14 activates theloudspeaker 22 so as to beep five times thereby indicating a criticallylow charge level of the battery pack 16. As the battery pack 16continues to discharge, the image as shown in FIG. 5E remains on theindicator 20 until the charge level of the battery is 2% of fullcapacity. However, when the charge level of the battery decreases to 3%of full battery capacity, the microprocessor 14 again activates theloudspeaker 22 so as to beep ten times thereby indicating an even morecritically low charge level of the battery pack 16. As the battery pack16 continues to discharge and the charge level of the battery decreasesto 2% of full battery capacity, all of the indicator segments 28, 30, 32and 34 deactivate so that the resulting image that is displayed on theindicator 20 changes to the image depicted in FIG. 5F. Note that whenthe charge level of the battery decreases to 2% of full batterycapacity, the portable computer 10 automatically deactivates so as topreserve the remaining electrical energy in the battery pack 16. A tablepresenting the variable "Figure which Shows the Image Displayed on theIndicator during Discharging of the Battery Pack" as a function of thevariable "Charge Level (in %) of the Battery Pack" is shown in FIG. 4.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in thedrawings and foregoing description, such illustration and description isto be considered as exemplary and not restrictive in character, it beingunderstood that only the preferred embodiment has been shown anddescribed and that all changes and modifications that come within thespirit of the invention are desired to be protected. For example, one ofthe preferred embodiments of the present invention has been described asa method and apparatus that indicates the charge level of a battery packwhich includes a number of batteries. As a result, the present inventionis applicable to a method and apparatus which indicates the charge levelof a single battery, as well as a method and apparatus which indicatesthe charge level of two or more batteries.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for displaying charge levels of abattery, comprising the steps of:displaying a first series of at leasttwo different charge levels of the battery in a first manner duringbattery charging; and displaying a second series of at least twodifferent charge levels of the battery in a second manner which isdifferent than the first manner during battery discharging, wherein thefirst manner displaying step includes the step of operating a batterycharge level indicator in a first mode, and the second manner displayingstep includes the step of operating the battery charge level indicatorin a second mode which is different than the first mode, wherein thebattery charge level indicator includes a first indicator portion and asecond indicator portion, each representing a certain quantity of chargeremaining in the battery, and further wherein the first mode operatingstep includes the steps of:indicating a first charge level of the firstseries by flashing the first indicator portion while causing the secondindicator portion to remain inactivated; and indicating a second chargelevel of the first series by flashing the second indicator portion whilecausing the first indicator portion to remain activated.
 2. The methodof claim 1, wherein the second mode operating step includes the stepsof:indicating a first charge level of the second series by causing thefirst indicator portion to remain activated while causing the secondindicator portion to remain inactivated; and indicating a second chargelevel of the second series by causing both the first indicator portionand the second indicator portion to remain activated.
 3. A method fordisplaying charge levels of a battery adapted to power a portablecomputer, with the portable computer having a charge state of operationand a discharge state of operation, comprising the steps of:displaying afirst series of at least two different charge levels of the battery in afirst manner during the charge state of operation of the portablecomputer; and displaying a second series of at least two differentcharge levels of the battery in a second manner, which is different fromthe first manner, during the discharge state of operation of theportable computer, wherein the first manner displaying step includes thestep of operating a battery charge level indicator in a first model andthe second manner displaying step includes the step of operating thebattery charge level indicator in a second mode which is different thanthe first mode, wherein the battery charge level indicator includes afirst indicator portion and a second indicator portion, eachrepresenting a certain quantity of charge remaining in the battery, andfurther wherein the first mode operating step includes the stepsof:indicating a first charge level of the first series by flashing thefirst indicator portion while causing the second indicator portion toremain inactivated; and indicating a second charge level of the firstseries by flashing the second indicator portion while causing the firstindicator portion to remain activated.
 4. The method of claim 3, whereinthe second mode operating step includes the steps of:indicating a firstcharge level of the second series by causing the first indicator portionto remain activated while causing the second indicator portion to remaininactivated; and indicating a second charge level of the second seriesby causing both the first indicator portion and the second indicatorportion to remain activated.
 5. A method for displaying charge levels ofa battery adapted to power an electrical device, comprising the stepsof:providing a battery charge level indicator which includes a firstindicator portion and a second indicator portion, each representing acertain quantity of charge remaining in the battery of the electricaldevice; and operating the battery charge indicator in a first mode ofoperation which includes the steps of:indicating a first charge level ofthe battery by flashing the first indicator portion while causing thesecond indictor portion to remain inactivated; and indicating a secondcharge level of the battery by flashing the second indicator portionwhile causing the first indicator portion to remain activated.
 6. Themethod of claim 5, further comprising the step of:operating the batterycharge indicator in a second mode of operation which includes the stepsof:indicating the first charge level of the battery by causing the firstindicator portion to remain activated while causing the second indicatorportion to remain inactivated; and indicating the second charge level ofthe battery by causing both the first indicator portion and the secondindicator portion to remain activated.
 7. The method of claim 2, whereinthe first charge level of the first series is equal to the first chargelevel of the second series.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the secondcharge level of the first series is equal to the second charge level ofthe second series.
 9. The method of claim 4, wherein the first chargelevel of the first series is equal to the first charge level of thesecond series.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the second chargelevel of the first series is equal to the second charge level of thesecond series.